North America

I ended my trip along the Pacific Coast Highway with a stop in San Francisco. During my time there, I visited Alcatraz Island, the former federal prison nicknamed the Rock. As we left from Pier 33 for the 15 minute ferry ride across the San Francisco Bay, it quickly became obvious how the nickname came to be — it looks like a big rock in the middle of the bay. Once we arrived at the island, a park ranger provided a brief orientation and history lesson. We learned the name Alcatraz was derived from “Alcatraces”, the Spanish word for pelicans, and the island was so named by Spanish explorers because of the many pelicans then living on the island. We also learned about the island’s history as a military fort and prison, and its occupation by Native Americans protestors. After the orientation, we headed up to the main cellhouse for the self-guided audio tour, which was excellent. It’s available in numerous languages, and was the highlight of the tour for me.

The tour includes stops at the four jail blocks, warden’s office, visitation room, library, gun gallery, recreation yard, dining hall and kitchen. It’s narrated by former prisoners and correctional officers, with clanging doors and other sounds so life-like that it almost feels like you were really there. You’ll learn about infamous prisoners, such as Birdman, Al Capone, and Whitey Bulger, and hear about events such as escape attempts, “The Battle of ’46”, food riots, and solitary confinement. You’ll also hear and feel the strong winds, which give you a real sense of the harsh environment and isolation on the Rock. The prison was ultimately closed because of its high maintenance and operational costs.

Despite its storied history, Alcatraz Island is now a national park and popular tourist attraction. While there are several companies offering tours to Alcatraz (often at inflated prices), Alcatraz Cruises is the only official provider. The tours frequently sell out, so you should buy tickets in advance if you intend to visit. I bought tickets one week before and many times were already unavailable.

Have you been to Alcatraz? What did you think about it? Share your comments below.

Sin City was the chosen locale for my sister’s recent 40th Birthday/Girls weekend. We arrived on Thursday and partied every night until our Sunday departure. Since as they say — what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas — this post won’t include all the details :-). But it will include some tips for hitting the Las Vegas party scene on the cheap, especially for the ladies.

We rented a 2-bedroom suite at Planet Hollywood, which served as party central for our group of 10. The suite was large, comfortable and nicely decorated with cool Hollywood movie and music memorabilia. It included sleeping space for 6, seating for 12, a wet bar, and expansive windows with views of the strip. As far as Vegas suites go, it was a great value for the money. If you have a group of 3 – 6 people (and don’t mind sharing beds), it’s worth a consideration; it might actually be cheaper than several regular rooms. And it’s a great way to live large, if only for a weekend.

We came to Vegas to celebrate and celebrate we did (for mostly free I might add). Our first night we partied at the Voodoo Lounge, on the rooftop of the Rio Hotel. The crowd was lively, the music was banging, and the panoramic views of the strip were amazing. The views alone are worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Vegas (you can catch a free shuttle from Harrah’s hotel). We met a fun wedding party there and hung out with them until 3 am. On Friday, we started off at Tryst nightclub at the Wynn hotel. The club was beautiful and the house music was live, but the crowd was a bit too stuffy for us. We left there and headed to the Ghostbar at the Palms Hotel. The music was pumping and the party was jumping, so we were all too happy to join in. It turned into another late night for us. On Saturday, we started the party early at Planet Hollywood’s day club/pool party. It was a fun afternoon, with a DJ, bartenders, and plenty of dancing and drinks.

Later that night, we rode the strip on a party bus for several hours. We stopped at the Las Vegas sign for photos, then headed to Pure nightclub at Caeser’s Palace. That place is huge, with several indoor dance areas and a huge rooftop lounge. We had the most fun there. Best of all, we got free VIP entry and avoided the long lines. Click here to read how you can too.

My first trip to Las Vegas was about 15 years ago. Back then, the Vegas strip was a lot less congested and hotel rooms, food, and gambling were cheap. I remember $5 game tables, $10 buffets, and $1.99 early morning steak and egg breakfasts. Weekend packages to Vegas were plentiful and affordable. Gone are those days.

In today’s Vegas, weekends are most expensive with decent rooms costing 2 -3 times the weekday rate. Buffets are $25+, blackjack tables have $15-20 minimums, and there’s no such thing as a cheap breakfast special. Vegas can be a real budget buster unless you know where to find the deals. Here are my top 3 tips for saving money and living large in Vegas:

1. Hotel Rooms: Book early for the best rates and try several bookings sites, as prices can significantly differ. My favorite sites are Hotels.com, Kayak, Orbitz and Venere. Try the actual hotel websites too. Sometimes they offer specials and extra perks for bookings on their own websites. Lastly, air/hotel packages may provide the best deal. Try Southwest or Delta airlines for package deals.

2. Entertainment/Food: Tix4Tonight is the best source for discounts on shows, restaurants, buffets, tours, and other attractions. With multiple locations along the strip, they offer same or next day discounted tickets, often for as much as half off. Their offerings vary by day, so if you’re flexible you can find some great deals on top shows and restaurants. Go early for the best selection. I’ve used them several times for shows and buffets, and can attest to the huge savings.

3. Nightlife: Expect long lines and expensive cover charges at Vegas nightclubs, unless you have an inside connection. One of the best club promoters in the game is Chris Hornak of FreeVegasClubPasses.com. Even better — his services are free. He can get you VIP entry into all the top Vegas nightclubs for free (ladies) or at reduced cover (sorry, guys). You’ll avoid all the long lines and the ladies will even get a free drink or two. I can personally vouch for him. During a recent trip, our group of 10 ladies got free entry into all of the hot clubs, with free drinks. We skipped the long lines and were ushered right thru the door. We easily saved more than $1,000 over the weekend and lots of wear and tear on our feet. I can’t recommend him enough.

Do you have some tips or secrets for saving money in Vegas? Please share them in the comments.

I’ve always wanted to drive the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and finally did it in summer 2013. Although most suggest the north to south route (because you drive closest to the coast), my sister and I decided to drive south to north because we wanted to end our trip in San Francisco. We hopped on the PCH in Venice, where the highway takes you along Venice Beach and on through Malibu past waterfront beach cottages, million-dollar homes in the hills, and spectacular vistas. After about 2 hours, we stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch on Stearns Wharf.

Santa Barbara has a beautiful beachfront and a quaint downtown with boutiques, restaurants and other shopping. We walked around, had frozen yogurt at Yogurtland (amazing flavors, some the best I’ve ever had), then got back on the road and headed towards San Luis Obispo. Much of this stretch is inland, so you exchange water views for mountain views. But there are many wineries in the area, so it’s a good place to stop for a relaxing evening of dinner and wine. We stayed overnight at the Apple Farm Inn, a quaint, country-themed hotel not far from downtown San Luis Obispo. The next morning, we headed through Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey, which was the most beautiful (and at times scariest) portion of the drive.

There are many twists, turns, ascents, and descents on narrow mountain roads, so this part of the drive is not for the faint at heart. But the views are so amazing that they’ll dispel your fears, or at least serve as a good diversion. And if you need a break or want to take photos, there are several stops where you can park and enjoy the scenery. We did so, then drove on to Santa Cruz, where we stopped for some lunch and beachfront entertainment.

Santa Cruz has a cool boardwalk, with roller coasters, restaurants, a huge video arcade, and of course, a sandy beachfront. It was a fun, carefree afternoon — a final taste of the quintessential California lifestyle. Our trip on the PCH ended here, as we drove inland to San Francisco. But we enjoyed it so much, we’re considering a repeat trip this year. There are awesome views and great cities to explore along the way. If the PCH is not already on your bucket list, you might want to add it. You’re in for a treat.

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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”– Mark Twain